For 20 years, Turneffe Atoll has been unprotected despite its critical role in maintaining the resilience of the entire Belize Barrier Reef. The atoll was the missing link in the chain of protected areas extending roughly 1.8 miles across Belize’s territorial waters.
Now, thanks to Belize’s new Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Sustainable Development, Lisel Alamilla, and a $5 million donation from The Bertarelli Foundation and Blue Marine Foundation, the atoll is protected.
The funding will enable the successful management of Turneffe Atoll, covering everything from enforcement to alternative livelihoods development and the creation of sustainable funding mechanisms to ensure the atoll’s future. It also ensures the health of Belizean fishing and tourism industries, and at least thirty threatened and endangered species which are on IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable.
Visit www.travelbelize.org.